ANY
persons have written to me asking for advice on how to select a psychologist.
The worst mistake you can make would be to get one referral and then start
seeing that personunless the referral comes from someone you trust.
But if it comes from Aunt Saras neighbors manicurist, watch
out.

So, unless you
can identify someone with clearly demonstrated competence and who has the
skills to work with your particular
problem,
you will have to shop around.

Check the
Internet, look in the Yellow Pages, or talk to friends to get a few
names of psychologists who are in your area. Then call several names. But
dont just start seeing the first person who answersif anyone
answers at all.

Leaving a
Message

If you get an
answering service or machine, leave a short message to the effect that
youre looking for a psychologist and would like to speak in person
with someone. Briefly describe your reason for seeking psychotherapy.
Be sure to leave some good times to reach you over the next several days.
Then sit back and wait. (If you call on a Friday afternoon, however, dont
expect a call back until the following week.)

The Telephone
Interview

Once you get
to speak with someone, remember that as a
consumer
you have the right to interview the psychologist thoroughly. You should begin
by describing your reasons for seeking psychotherapy so that it can
be determined if your needs fit with the psychologists practice. Following
are some other issues about which you may want to inquire.

Look for a breadth
to the psychologists education and training. Also, be sure to evaluate
the degree of
honesty
and candidness with which you are treated. You can really put the
psychologists honesty and candidness to the test by asking about various
personal and moral issues. Remember, unlike a physician or dentist, your
psychologists personal values will have an influencewhether openly
or unconsciouslyon your own values. For example,
if you are trying to heal difficulties in your marriage and your psychologist
has been divorced five times, you face the risk that your psychologist will
be inclined to influence you to get
a divorce. Therefore, you may ask whether the psychologist is married
or not, and why; whether the psychologist has any children or not,
and why; whether the psychologist has been divorced or not, and why;
what religion, if any, he or she practices, and why; and what sexual
orientation he or she follows, and why. If you get defensive answers
or a cold, clinical response, well, lets just say you are being forewarned
about how you will be treated when you have doubts or questions during the
on-going psychotherapy itself.

Shopping
Around

Select at least
two candidates who seem favorable and set up an appointment to discuss things
in person. Ask any questions you did not ask over the telephone. But make
it clear that you are shopping around and want to interview several
candidates. Then let the psychologist take it from there. A competent
psychologist will do his or her best to help you in that session and wont
feel at all uncomfortable in letting you walk away. After all, if he or she
has done a good job, you might be back. You should, of course, expect to
pay for that session because it really is a psychotherapy session.

Dont jump
to any conclusions. Someone might seem like the best psychotherapist in the
world, but someone else further down your list of candidates might be even
better. You never know, so see everyone on the list. And remember that this
interview process, however long it takes, is really part of the process of
getting help. You will learn many things about yourself just in this
initial selection process.

After youve
seen everyone, select the best pick of the lot. And then contract to see
that person for about six sessions to see how things go. If you feel comfortable,
you can continue for as long as you need.

If for any reason
you do not feel comfortable with the psychotherapy, be sure to tell the
psychologist exactly what you are experiencing. Quite often, psychotherapy
provokes uncomfortable feelings, known as a
transference
reaction, and the whole point of treatment is to deal with these feelings
in the treatment, not to run away from them.

Now, at this point, one of three things could happen. First, your talking
about your feelings could deepen and enrich the treatment.

Second, after talking things over, you might both agree that you should see
someone else; in that case,
terminate
psychotherapy politely and reconsider one of the candidates you have previously
interviewed.

Third, the psychologist might get annoyed with you, and you might be left
feeling very foolish. In that case, you may have stumbled across a
psychotherapist whoto say it politelyis less than competent.
So
terminate
psychotherapy politely, dont look back, and reconsider one of the
candidates you have previously interviewed.

Note that
though I have referred throughout this page to the psychologist,
the same suggestions can be applied to any other person performing
psychotherapy.

FOR THE SAKE OF TRUTH this website
about the practice of Clinical Psychology does not accept any advertising.

Therefore, if my work has been informative
and helpful to you, please send a donation in appreciation,
even if its only a few dollars, to help offset my costs in making this
website available to everyone without advertising.

Psychology is a complex subject,
and many issues are interrelated. And so, even though you may find a topic
of interest on one particular page, an exploration of the other pages will
deepen your understanding of the human mind and heart.

Throughout this
website, my goal is simply to help you realize that although life can be
painful, unfair, and brutal, it doesnt have to be misery.

The practice of good clinical psychology involves somethingcall it
comfortwhich does not mean sympathy or soothing, and it certainly
doesnt mean to have your pain taken away. It really means
to be urged on to take up the cup of your destiny, with courage and
honesty.